Getting Oriented

Victoria's iconic buildings are clustered around the Inner Harbour. To the south, Beacon Hill Park and James Bay extend to Dallas Road, which runs along the shore of Juan de Fuca Strait. A short walk north along the shop-lined Government Street leads to historic Bastion Square, Market Square, and Chinatown—which are sometimes collectively called Old Town. From here, the Johnson Street Bridge, which separates the Inner Harbour from the Upper Harbour, leads to the waterfront walkways of Vic West. About a mile east of downtown are the gardens and mansions of Rockland, Fairfield, and Oak Bay, the city's older residential districts. Running parallel to Government Street are Blanshard Street, which becomes Highway 17 and leads to the Saanich Peninsula, and Douglas Street, which leads to Highway 1 and the rest of Vancouver Island.